Nonprofits ask Liberty Hill council for community grants to fund meals, shelter, counseling, youth programs and animal care

Nonprofit representatives presented grant requests and described local services to the Liberty Hill City Council at a City Council workshop, asking for funding to support senior meals, emergency shelter and counseling, youth enrichment, school-supply programs and animal medical care.

The presentations matter because the groups seeking money said city funding would help sustain services that fill gaps for low-income and vulnerable residents. Several organizations gave concrete costs and service counts: Opportunities for Williamson and Burnett Counties asked the council for $10,000 to support its Liberty Hill Meals on Wheels program, which the presenter said served 45 Liberty Hill residents and delivered about 11,700 meals in 2024. Hope Alliance (Williamson County Crisis Center) requested $10,000 and said it served 13 Liberty Hill residents last year. Operation Liberty Hill showed program data for food, thrift and back-to-school efforts, saying the food pantry served 3,158 people last month and that Operation Back to School served 360 Liberty Hill ISD students in 2024.

Carrie Redding, founder of the Rufus Relief Fund, described an animal-aid nonprofit that helps owners pay for emergency veterinary care and runs rescue and rehoming services. "The purpose of it is that so if people are having financial issues that their pets do not go untreated," Redding said, describing the fund's vetting process and partnerships with local veterinary clinics that offer discounts. Redding did not state a specific dollar amount being requested from the city.

Dori Yater, director of development for Opportunities for Williamson and Burnett Counties, said the group is asking for $10,000 from the city. "Meals on Wheels provides home delivered meals 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year to homebound disabled seniors and disabled residents 60 or older that live right here in Liberty Hill," Yater said, adding that 87% of the program’s clients are low income and the Liberty Hill program’s total cost in 2024 was $93,600.

Zoe Armstrong, grant director at Hope Alliance (Williamson County Crisis Center), described the agency's emergency shelter and wraparound services. "We are the only agency in Williamson County that provides emergency shelter as well as life-saving wraparound services at no cost to the client," Armstrong said, and noted the agency had a four- to six-week waitlist for shelter and counseling at the time of the presentation. Armstrong reported that $10,000 would pay for roughly 12 Liberty Hill residents to receive wraparound services, based on an average per-client cost of about $835.

Kendra Cofer of L4 Cares and the pastor representing 1 Chapel Liberty Hill both requested $20,000 grants for separate programs. Cofer said L4 Cares would use $20,000 to fund Hero Camp for more than 30 families facing critical pediatric medical diagnoses, covering accommodations, meals and activities. The pastor at 1 Chapel Liberty Hill said the church is training volunteer counselors and requested $20,000 to improve and expand space on church property to provide counseling services to the community.

The Liberty Hill ISD Education Foundation asked for $5,000 to fund scholarships for Panther Academy, an after-school enrichment program that the foundation said is offered by district staff at campuses inside the city limits (Liberty Hill Elementary and Louis Noble). Mike Bowles, president of the Education Foundation, said $5,000 would fund more than 50 student scholarships within the city.

Other presenters included Legacy Ranch Band Boosters, which described student participation and a need for scholarships for students who could not afford fees; Liberty Hill Panther Select (a 501(c)(3) travel softball organization) seeking support to retain a paid coach and sustain travel to tournaments; Foundation XXL Hope seeking expansion of community gardens and a market program to increase fresh produce availability and accept SNAP benefits; and Salvation Army Williamson County, which said it provided $13,500 in rental and utility assistance to Liberty Hill families last year and partners with Operation Liberty Hill on referrals. "I was able to stay in my home, because of what the partnerships have done," a Salvation Army client quoted by Scott Bedeo said.

Several presenters emphasized rising costs for food and program delivery and rising demand for services. Operation Liberty Hill leaders outlined the cost of Operation Back to School ($310 per student on average) and said the district has nearly 10,000 students, with roughly 1,600 qualifying as economically disadvantaged; they said Operation Back to School covered 360 students in 2024.

Council members and staff managed presentation logistics (three-minute limits and slide timing) during the workshop; the transcript records presentations and questions about copies and projector setup but does not show council votes or funding decisions. No formal action or funding allocation was announced at the meeting.

The council heard presentations from more than a dozen organizations and thanked speakers at the session's close; next steps for city review of applications were not stated on the record in the transcript.